DIGITIZATION OF ARCHIVAL RECORDS: THE KENYA NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND DOCUMENTATION SERVICE EXPERIENCE.

The Kenya National Archives was established in 1965 by an Act of Parliament to provide custody, among other functions, to public and private records of enduring value. It is worth noting that some information resources at the Kenya National Archives were created as early as the 17th century. Some of these old materials have since deteriorated as a result of both environmental and biological dangers and become fragile, brittle and discoloured. This situation highlights the need for long-term availability of such resources. This paper is a sojourn in the digitization endeavours at the Kenya National Archives. It shows what has been done and the challenges that have been experienced. Despite the four-phase attempt to digitize over 680 million pages of records, the process has experienced myriad challenges those of particularly inadequate human capital and financial resources

Tapping Indigenous Knowledge to Power the National Development Agenda: the Indigenous Knowledge Resource Centre Approach

The world is witnessing unprecedented impetus to leverage Indigenous Knowledge (IK) as a means of spurring development interventions. This momentum derives primarily from the appreciation that IK is vital for development and indeed a resource for addressing the myriad development challenges in different sectors. Unfortunately, due to preoccupation with ‘western’ knowledge systems the power of IK is adversely obliterated. Through literature review, this paper sought to advance understanding and appreciation of IK as a resource in national development. It concludes and recommends that Information Centers, particularly libraries should establish specialized units to handle IK – the Indigenous Knowledge Resource Centers. As a best practice, such centers should undertake action research, documentation, awareness creation, policy advisory, networking and publishing as a way of leveraging IK

Challenges that Affect the Utilization of KLISC’s Resources and Services at University of Nairobi

It is not feasible for a library to hold or acquire a full collection of information resources which may be required by its patrons. To deal with this issue, library cooperation was adopted, for instance, interlibrary loaning, document delivery and library network, formed to build the acquiring capacity of cooperating institutions to grow the accessibility of information resources and offer computerized services. In Kenya, there is KLISC which has carried out commendable activities to support research in Kenya. KLISC has done admirable exercises to support research in Kenya. These exercises incorporate collaborative acquisition of information resources, ICT training of information experts and the preparation of researchers to improve their abilities in retrieving information. Despite the activities and services that KLISC provide, its resources are yet to be appreciated by a majority of the users of the member institutions. Also, not all information providers and institutions of higher learning are members. Kenya has over 600 institutions but only 112 are KLISC members as of 2018 and the numbers keep reducing. The study therefore tried to identify the challenges that the KLISC members face that could be affecting utilization of the electronic resources, members pulling out and also discouraging other institutions from joining. The study found out that KLISC members experienced the following challenges; slow internet connectivity, information illiteracy, lack of searching skills, low awareness levels, slow downloading speed, unfriendly platforms, password requirements for some databases, poor ICT infrastructure, poor ICT skills for both users and staff, delays in releasing of funds by the management, and slow communication from the publishers. KLISC itself faces the following challenges: members do not efficiently communicate about their information needs, lack of sponsorship since INASP pulled out, delay by KLISC’s members to pay their annual subscription fee, and the management team is overwhelmed by work. The study therefore recommended the following: Institutions should invest more on ICT infrastructure, KLISC should come up with a way of ensuring relevancy, KLISC should stand on its own as an institution and acquire its own offices and employ staff who will just be working for KLISC, KLISC should create a mini-consortium to cater for research institutions and also other specialized fields in different institutions in Kenya, KLISC should come up with a way of dealing with individual defaulters in a way that does not affect the other members, the publishers should improve the interfaces of their databases to make them user friendly and easy to navigate, and the publishers should also ensure fast communications with the institutions

The status of the implementation of institutional repositories in selected newly established universities in Kenya

Rationale of Study – Academic institutions worldwide have embraced institutional repositories as a means to showcase their research globally. In Kenya, the majority of academic institutions with effective repositories are established universities. Little is known of institutional repositories of newly established universities in Kenya. This study evaluated the status of the implementation of institutional repositories of universities established between 2016 and 2017 in Kenya. Methodology – The researchers used a descriptive research design in this study. Data was collected from professional library staff in three newly established universities using questionnaires. The actual respondents were selected through information-oriented purposive sampling. The sample size was twenty librarians from Kirinyaga University, Machakos University, and University of Embu. Findings – All the university libraries investigated had functional institutional repositories. The libraries had developed submission and metadata policies. The staff charged with implementing institutional repositories had relevant skills, understood the scholarly communication cycle, and were responsible for recruitment of institutional repository content. The challenges faced in implementing institutional repositories included low levels of awareness of the existence of IR by the intended users, reluctant of the researchers in submitting their research with the IR, lack of resources, inadequate staff, and submission policy. Implications – The findings of this study buttresses the place of information repositories as a platform to share research literature and open access to scholarly materials globally even for newly established universities in developing countries. Originality – Unlike the majority of research on institutional repositories in Kenya which focused on established universities, this study tells the story of newly established universities in Kenya

ABSTRACTS OF PRESENTATIONS

Second International Conference on African Digital Libraries and Archives, abstracts of presentation